This review examines the current state of the supply chain management for Dicentrarchus labrax (sea bass) and Sparus aurata (sea bream), two key commercial fish species in the Mediterranean. It provides a comprehensive analysis of sustainable innovations in aquaculture, processing, and packaging, with particular attention to circular economy-based biopreservation techniques. A major focus is on the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) system, an advanced farming approach that enhances sustainability, promotes circular resource utilization, and improves fish welfare. By fostering ecological balance through the co-cultivation of multiple species, IMTA contributes to the overall quality of fish products for human consumption. Beyond aquaculture, the review addresses the critical challenge of food loss, which stems from the high perishability of fish during storage and processing. In this regard, it highlights recent advancements in biopreservation strategies, including the application of antagonistic microorganisms, their metabolites, and plant-derived extracts. Particular attention is given to the development of edible antimicrobial films, with a focus on the valorization of citrus processing by-products for their production. By centering on innovations specific to the Mediterranean context, this review underscores that a holistic, integrative approach to supply chain management is essential for transitioning the aquaculture sector toward greater efficiency and sustainability.

Introduction: Brucella spp. infections in livestock continue to pose significant threats to public and animal health, as well as to local economies. In the European Union, Brucella abortus, which primarily affects cattle and buffaloes, has been successfully eradicated in some Member States and across northern and central Italy through mandatory eradication and control programmes. However, some provinces in southern Italy, including Caserta and Salerno (Campania Region), remain affected, while in other provinces, as in Isernia (Molise Region), brucellosis has temporarily re-emerged.Methods: The study examines brucellosis outbreaks occurring between 2019 and 2023 in these territories, focusing on livestock that play a key role in the milk value chain, an essential pillar for economic sustainability, environmental protection and cultural heritage preservation. Since brucellosis is a WOAH Listed Disease subject to mandatory notification, we analyzed data registered in Italian, European Union and International portals concerning these notifications. Furthermore, we correlated these data to the national and regional rules adopted in order to tackle bovine brucellosis, including the methods approved for the serological diagnosis of infection.Results: In Isernia, a mountainous area where cattle ranching and traditional herding are widespread and culturally significant, brucellosis re-emerged in the period 2019–2021, when 30 outbreaks arose, 50% of outbreaks were linked to grazing practices. Outbreaks were promptly extinguished through veterinary intervention due to the low density of farms, which typically house only a few animals, and new cases have not been detected since 2022. The provinces of Caserta and Salerno present a different scenario, as they are major hubs for water buffalo breeding. The stringent tailored control measures, implemented in these provinces through a regional programme, led to a gradual decline in the prevalence of buffalo brucellosis outbreaks in Caserta, that involved 8,766 heads in 2019 and 6,164 heads in 2023, and in the eradication in Salerno, with 369 positive heads in 2019 brought to 0 since 2022. The Caserta programme specifically addresses the province’s particular vulnerabilities, which include frequent flooding events and the presence of the largest and most densely concentrated water buffalo population in Italy.Discussion: The results highlight the fundamental importance of a One Health approach, which includes targeted interventions adapted to the specific context in which they are applied. This approach must actively involve key stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, public health authorities, and policymakers, and be supported by financial investments. Key components include strengthening biosecurity measures, implementing advanced animal traceability systems, continuous professional training programmes (including for farmers), expert-led information-sharing technologies, and promoting voluntary serological self-monitoring practices.

Regulation (EU) 2016/429 introduces comprehensive guidelines for managing transmissible animal diseases, including zoonoses. The subsequent Commission Implementing Regulation 2018/1882 categorizes these diseases into five groups, each with specific responses, ranging from mandatory eradication to optional eradication or surveillance. Key regulatory priorities include enhanced animal traceability, biosecurity, wildlife pathogen control, sustainable farming practices, and minimizing the impact of diseases on public health, animal health, and the environment. These objectives align with the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the One Health approach, and the ongoing revaluation of European Inner Areas. They, including the Molise Region in Italy, are often remote, face service accessibility challenges, and suffer from depopulation and farm abandonment. Nonetheless, they hold significant potential for agropastoral and agri-food activities that can support tourism, the commercialization of local products, and recreational pursuits. Implementing optional programmes for animal diseases and zoonoses not subject to mandatory eradication could help the farms of these areas to mitigate productivity losses due to diseases like Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis and Paratuberculosis. The latter is a suspected zoonosis potentially linked to Crohn’s disease in humans. Optional programmes could enhance economic returns, counteract depopulation, support animal welfare and pasture conservation, and reduce the risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases for residents and tourists attracted by the ecological appeal of these areas.

The operationalization of the One Health (OH) approach remains a major challenge due to persistent fragmentation across human, animal, and environmental data systems. This gap is exacerbated by climate change, which acts as a risk multiplier for pathogen transmission and agri-food system vulnerability. Drawing on more than a decade of research, including the re-emergence of brucellosis in Italy and the 2024 Salmonella Umbilo outbreak, this perspective discusses key weaknesses in current data management, particularly the lack of real-time, interoperable data sharing. To address these challenges, we propose an AI-enabled One Health Information System (OH-IS), grounded in FAIR data principles and privacy-preserving architectures. The proposed conceptual framework integrates multi-matrix data streams, combining Earth observation data, genomic surveillance through whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and livestock mobility within a geospatially integrated architecture to support timely decision-making in vulnerable settings. By analyzing the constraints of siloed databases, we discuss how automated semantic harmonization could conceptually support improved risk assessment and outbreak reconstruction in recent zoonotic events. This approach may facilitate a transition from descriptive to anticipatory surveillance, providing a scalable model to move One Health from a conceptual paradigm toward a more integrated and data-driven surveillance framework aligned with EU digital health policies and global health security priorities.

In 2024, a significant Salmonella Umbilo outbreak was reported across the European Union and beyond, traced to contaminated vegetables originating from the Province of Salerno (Italy). Subsequent on-site inspections in the production area revealed a mismanaged manure storage tank, which became the focus of a GIS-based investigation aimed at locating nearby animal establishments. Within a 1-km radius—encompassing both the tank and the contaminated greenhouses—three buffalo farms were identified. Farm inspections revealed buffalo calves exhibiting enteric symptoms. Fecal samples collected from these animals led to the isolation of S. Umbilo genomically linked to the 2024 multi-country outbreak, as well as other serotypes. To thoroughly investigate, data from official EU and Italian databases were analyzed, to detect the presence of S. Umbilo in vegetables, buffalo, and other livestock within the Province of Salerno. However, the lack of access to critical data needed to clarify the epidemiological links at the human–animal–environment interface has hindered the full reconstruction of the outbreak dynamics. These limitations underscore the urgent need to implement One Health strategies by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among veterinarians, physicians, food technologists, biologists and other professionals; leveraging official open access databases; and adopting emerging technologies as interoperable data systems and drone surveillance.

Fish are nutritionally valuable foods but are also highly perishable, representing a major research focus for the development of effective preservation strategies to delay spoilage while maintaining microbiological acceptability. In this context, edible coatings have gained increasing attention as clean-label tools to extend the shelf life of perishable foods. In this study, an alginate-based emulsion containing oregano essential oil (OEO) was applied to commercial frozen–thawed ready-to-cook (RTC) hake fillets, intentionally selected as a reproducible model system to evaluate coating performance under refrigerated conditions. Coated and uncoated fillets, stored at 4 °C for up to 7 days, were monitored over time for microbiological and physicochemical parameters, including microbial loads, pH, weight loss, and lipid oxidation (TBARS). Compared to uncoated samples, fillets treated with the alginate–OEO emulsion exhibited a marked delay in spoilage-related microbial growth, with a consistent inhibition of Pseudomonas spp. throughout the experimental period, while maintaining microbiological acceptability. Emulsion-based coated fillets also exhibited reduced lipid oxidation, a more uniform surface appearance with only minor visible color changes, and the absence of unpleasant off odors during the refrigerated storage. Overall, the results demonstrate that the alginate–OEO coating could represent an effective strategy for improving the microbiological and oxidative stability of RTC fish fillets under refrigerated conditions, with potential implications for extended shelf life and a reduction in food waste.